For Class 12 students, the months between board exams and the start of college seem like an extended break. Many expect to use it to rest, explore interests, or prepare for the next phase. But do students utilise this time appropriately? More importantly: can they?
The exam vortex
“My board exams ended in March, but I was writing entrance exams until June,” says Sai Prem, a first-year BTech student. He appeared for multiple engineering entrance exams last year, including national, state-level, and private university tests.
For him, the cycle remained the same: appear for an exam, often in centres far from home, return, and prepare for the next one. A similar experience played out for Abhinav Suhas Koppuravuri, a first-year BBA student. Like Prem, he found himself sucked into the intense cycle of entrance exam preparation. “As a science student, I had to rely on coaching to crack exams for management programmes. Those classes shifted from once-a-week to daily after my board exams ended, so much of my time was devoted to preparation,” he says.
Not much time for anything else
This hectic cycle of back-to-back exams left both students with little time and even less energy to do anything else once the exams ended. Because of this, they were unable to pursue many of their initial plans for these months.
“If I were to relive those three to four months again, I would focus more on my start-up ideas. I would also network with founders and like-minded people actively,” Abhinav reveals. Prem also believes that better planning could have helped him get a head start in college. “My current semester has introduced coding languages. If I had had better planning and thus more time after my board exams, I could have learned some of them,” he says.
Weak support systems?
Experts argue that students often get caught in the race to clear multiple entrance exams and secure admissions to reputable colleges, largely due to a lack of adequate guidance in making informed decisions.
“Parents often pressure their children to pursue subjects and courses that are currently trending,” says Rohit Gupta, Co-Founder and COO of College Vidya, an online platform that helps students choose colleges and universities.
“With so much information at their disposal, students are often unable to decide what career path suits them best. At the same time, parents push them to try everything,” he explains. He adds that clarity can reduce the need to appear for multiple entrance exams. “Students don’t have to appear for every possible exam if they know what they want,” he says. Gupta recommends career assessment tests and counselling sessions, which he says are increasingly accessible. For those who cannot avail such services, he suggests a more deliberate approach. “Don’t rush into taking admission. Do your research, explore your subject through online courses or internships, and build your profile,” he advises.
A jumpstart to college life
Beyond academic and professional preparation, Gupta also stresses the importance of personal development during this period.
“Students who have just finished school often think that college life is a period of fun and freedom. While that is true, they also need to realise that these freedoms come with responsibilities,” he says. Without using this time effectively, students may finish college with more confusion about their future, he warns. To make better use of the gap months and prepare for the years ahead, he suggests developing discipline through daily routines. “Something as simple as waking up early can add structure to your day,” he notes.